Immortal-Exterminating Divine Venerable

'It's Ye Dongge!'

Yang Xiao knew instantly. The one who had betrayed him was Ye Dongge.

Seeing them arrive, Ye Dongge was overjoyed.

Ye Xuantian had already received his Spiritual Sense transmission and told him that the Domain Lord of the Eastern Domain—the great ancestor of the Ye Family—was right here.

With him here,

Ye Dongge felt certain that Yang Xiao was a dead man.

And the poison in his body would surely be neutralized.

But just as his excitement peaked,

just as he thought he could finally escape the control of that lowly Martial Cultivator, Yang Xiao, a golden light flashed on his body.

The Golden Roc True Body vanished.

It had returned to the White Jade Palace.

At the same instant, the poison that had been lying dormant in his body erupted.

The color drained from Ye Dongge's face.

He looked at Ye Xuantian and screamed, "Sect Leader, save me! Save me! That kid knows I betrayed him! Help m—AH!"

But it was no use.

No matter how loud he screamed,

or how helpless he sounded,

Ye Xuantian didn't react at all.

He only watched him with cold indifference.

In that moment, Ye Dongge realized with a jolt that he had been abandoned.

What he didn't know

was that from the moment he sent the Spiritual Sense transmission to Ye Xuantian, his fate had been sealed.

Having searched the memories of Ye Qinghan's Divine Soul, how could Ye Xuantian, Sect Leader of the Profound Celestial Sect, not know about Yang Xiao's methods of poisoning?

It was the Thousand-leaf Life-taking Willow.

A poison with no cure.

So, when Ye Dongge said he was poisoned and needed saving, Ye Xuantian had already given up on him. Whether it was the Thousand-leaf Life-taking Willow or some other toxin,

Ye Xuantian felt he was beyond saving.

Nor was he worth asking the great ancestor, Ye Donghuang, to save.

Because he wasn't worth it.

A man who would even plot against his own master to save his skin... the world would be a cleaner place with him dead.

"Although I have no proof that you participated in the murder of Junior Brother Xuanfeng, the fact that you are alive while everyone else is dead is evidence enough. To say nothing of the fact that you were carrying the murderer himself. Therefore, there is only one path for you: death."

Ye Xuantian transmitted his thoughts coolly.

This plunged Ye Dongge into complete despair.

His eyes filled with endless regret.

'If only I hadn't tried to be so clever.'

'If I hadn't betrayed Yang Xiao.'

'Maybe I wouldn't be dying right now.'

'But it's too late for any of that.'

Yang Xiao would never spare him.

And neither Ye Xuantian nor the great ancestor Ye Donghuang would save him.

They were just going to watch him die.

No, Ye Donghuang hadn't even spared him a glance. His eyes were fixed on the Small White Jade Palace hanging from his waist, as if he were trying to see right through it.

This outcome...

he refused to accept it.

But it was useless.

The poison took hold.

His entire body began to fester.

In the end, he couldn't even make a sound.

In an instant, Ye Dongge dissolved into a wisp of black mist.

And vanished without a trace.

Only a few items clattered to the ground.

His Storage Ring.

And a few ornaments, among them the Small White Jade Palace, disguised as a Jade Pendant.

As for Ye Donghuang's gaze,

it had never left the palace.

He wasn't the only one; the eyes of several others were fixed on it as well.

In that moment, no one noticed,

that the wisp of black mist seemed to melt into the ground, transforming into a seed.

'A Semi-Divine Artifact! It really is that brat. If he hadn't received the inheritance of the Northern Wilderness Sword Mansion, how could he possess a Demigod Level palace? A treasure like this... even the Ye Family Main Lineage from six thousand years ago didn't have a single one.'

The longer Ye Donghuang stared, the brighter his eyes became.

A hint of greed even began to color his gaze.

He knew that if he could capture this brat, he would obtain the inheritance of an Eraless Divine King. Furthermore, based on all prior intelligence,

it seemed this brat was heading for the Profound Sun Secret Realm.

The aura from before had been fleeting,

but as a descendant of the Ye Family, Ye Donghuang still sensed a special ripple.

He recognized it as the leaking aura of the Profound Sun Secret Realm.

And only one thing

could cause that.

'The Profound Sun Order! The inheritance of the Northern Wilderness Divine King, the Small World of the Profound Sun Emperor... Haha, it seems even the heavens are on my side! This brat is truly my lucky star!'

Ye Donghuang roared with laughter in his mind.

His face, however, remained a mask of calm.

He raised his hand and made a grasping motion.

The Small White Jade Palace immediately shot toward him.

'It's finally mine.'

Ye Donghuang gloated inwardly.

But at that very moment, the aura of the seemingly tiny White Jade Palace surged. It suddenly expanded, transforming into an immense palace that followed the momentum of Ye Donghuang's pull and came crashing down upon him.

The sudden shift made Ye Donghuang's expression change drastically.

He recovered almost instantly, however.

"Facing death, and you still dare to play tricks? You truly don't know what's good for you! Watch how I teach you a lesson!"

In a flash, his grasp became an upward thrust. The Power of the Void Immortal surged forth, and with a single blow, he sent the Demigod Level palace flying.

With a loud BANG,

it was sent tumbling to the ground.

Inside, the shockwave from the blow sent blood trickling from the corner of Yue Lingxi's mouth.

Her face was deathly pale.

"This is bad! With my current cultivation, I can't unleash the true power of this Cold Jade Divine Palace. Lord Xiao, open the Profound Sun Secret Realm, quickly!"

Yue Lingxi cried out urgently.

Yang Xiao's expression was just as grave.

But he shook his head at Yue Lingxi's suggestion. "That last blow moved us much closer to the portal of the Profound Sun Secret Realm, but if we open it now, we're not fast enough to get inside before he strikes again. Besides, even if we make it into the Profound Sun Secret Realm, it will take time to undo your Seal. For now, we have to hold on. You need to buy me as much time as possible. The Golden Roc True Body inside me is about to advance."

"Advance?" Yue Lingxi's eyes lit up. "Alright. I'll hold him off."

She knew that the speed of Yang Xiao's Golden Roc True Body was peerless. Even when it was at the Peak of the Small Divine Ability Realm, its speed had already surpassed that of a cultivator at the Peak of the Great Divine Power Realm.

If it really could advance,

then they might actually have a chance to escape this disaster.

And, just as Yang Xiao had said, if they were to rashly open the portal to the Profound Sun Secret Realm now—even with the entrance just a few miles away—they would never make it inside with a Void Immortal Level expert like Ye Donghuang present.

Their Small Void Shift and flying speed were both completely suppressed by him. If Yang Xiao dared to use the Small Void Shift, Ye Donghuang could casually swat them into the Void Dark Realm, a truly perilous fate.

By the same token, they couldn't possibly outrun a Void Immortal Powerhouse.

Yue Lingxi had only made the suggestion

as a desperate, last-ditch gamble.

Now that Yang Xiao had a better plan,

she would naturally give it her all to support him.

'Time... The most important thing right now is time. I have to buy Lord Xiao enough time for his advancement.'

Yue Lingxi's resolve hardened.

The White Jade Palace, which had dimmed slightly, instantly flared with a dazzling light.

But at that very moment,

a colossal hand that blotted out the sky

descended from above.

It was Ye Donghuang.

Even now, he had not given up. He intended to seize the claimed White Jade Palace by force. This grasp was meant to forcibly tame it.

If he succeeded,

Yang Xiao and Yue Lingxi, who were inside,

would surely die.

Could Yue Lingxi withstand it?